Back to the Light
by A. R. Chwa
Summary: Tragedy strikes in Sydney and Rob is left alone. But how can the rest of the team help him when he's so far away?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Story is rated M for content about depression, suicide, and religious belief._

BACK TO THE LIGHT – PART ONE

Lenni woke up early to a ball of light spinning above her bed. She squinted at it and rubbed her eyes.

"Ghostwriter?" she muttered. "What's up with you?"

Knowing the ghost couldn't hear her, as he could only communicate through writing, she got up and went into the living room. She turned on the computer and typed out a question.

_What's wrong Ghostwriter?_

The white circle appeared and wrote back to her.

_Something's happened to Rob._

Lenni's eyes popped open as she became fully awake. Rob was a friend who had moved to Australia several years prior. Lenni often got letters and poems from him, although she hadn't received any recently. She typed quickly to Ghostwriter.

_What happened?_

Lenni bit her lip as the ghost answered.

_I don't know. Rob isn't writing to me._

Lenni grew terribly worried at this. Ghostwriter could sense feelings, so he always knew when his friends were suffering. And something was definitely wrong if Rob wouldn't, or couldn't, write to him. Lenni gave a nod and typed again.

_Rally L_

* * *

Even though it was pretty early for a rally, Lenni knew it was urgent. She got dressed quickly, as Alex and Gaby Fernandez lived right downstairs. Sure enough, she had barely finished getting ready when they knocked on the door.

"Awfully early for a rally, isn't it?" Gaby asked.

"It's an emergency," Lenni said.

"What happened?" Alex asked.

"I don't know _what_," Lenni said. "I only know who and where."

"Huh?" Gaby asked.

"I'll explain when the others get here."

A while later, Jamal Jenkins came over with his cousin Casey. Then Hector Carrero arrived with Tina Nguyen and Lenni explained what had happened that morning.

"Rob?" Casey asked.

"You know," Hector said. "Rob is my pen-pal in Australia. He was on the team before he moved there."

"So whatever has happened to Rob is keeping him from writing to Ghostwriter?" Alex asked.

"Sure sounds like it," Lenni said. "Rob wouldn't stop writing unless something really serious is going on."

"He may also be sick," Jamal said. "When Gaby got sick, Ghostwriter could tell, and was asking us what was wrong with her."

"And I wasn't able to write to Ghostwriter myself," Gaby said. "I was too dizzy and nauseous."

"But Rob doesn't have any of us with him," Hector said. "How's he going to find out what's wrong if Rob can't write to him?"

"Maybe he can read something around him," Tina suggested. "If he's sick, there might be medicine…or a medical report."

"Or he may have written something in his journal," Jamal said.

"Ghostwriter doesn't read personal stuff," Gaby told him.

"Yeah," said Alex. "And Rob is super touchy about people reading things that he hasn't finished working on yet. He even got after Ghostwriter for reading his poems without permission."

"He might if it's an emergency," Jamal said.

Lenni nodded and typed out a message.

_Can you read anything around Rob?_

Ghostwriter zipped away and the team waited. It took a while, but then he appeared again with a message.

FRIENDS ARE FOREVER

_Love,_

_Lenni_

"Hey," Lenni said. "That's what I wrote in the notebook I gave to Rob. This next part must be something he wrote in it."

_When uniforms appear in the doorway,_

_They never come with good news._

_The voice behind the badges says the words,_

_Words that should never be spoken,_

_Not to me._

_My world comes crashing down,_

_And darkness has consumed me._

_I am lost in a tunnel._

_I may never see the sun again._

"Woah," Jamal said. "That's some dark stuff."

"Yeah," Lenni said. "Rob isn't hurt physically. He's upset about something."

"It seems he got some bad news," Alex said. "_Uniforms appear in the doorway_. He could be talking about the police coming to his house."

"Yeah," said Tina. "And that's _never_ a good sign."

"Are you sure it was police?" asked Gaby. "Other people wear uniforms too."

"True," said Alex. "But he also mentions _badges_. Police wear badges _and_ uniforms."

"And they don't bring good news," Casey whimpered. "I never liked it when the police would come to my house. They were always there to say my mom was drunk again…or in the hospital…and I had to go stay somewhere else."

"So Rob got bad news from the police," Lenni sighed. "But…he doesn't say what it is."

"It might have been too upsetting to write down," Jamal said.

"Well…if he got bad news from the police," Tina said, "maybe there's a police report."

Lenni nodded and typed to Ghostwriter, specifically asking about a police report. Ghostwriter came back fairly quickly with one.

"That's a police report, all right," Alex said. "Looks like it's from today."

"But…it says 1730," Casey said. "Did they make a mistake?"

"No Casey," Jamal said. "Police usually use military time, so am and pm don't get mixed up. This report is about something that happened at 5:30 pm."

"And Australia is in a different time zone, so it's already evening there," Lenni said.

"Looks like this is about a traffic accident that happened at 5:30 pm," said Alex. "It has the makes and models of two cars."

"Uh oh," said Tina, who was writing the information in a casebook. "It's changing."

"Casualties," Alex sighed. "Oh no."

"Casualties?" asked Gaby. "Isn't that…dead people?"

"You mean Rob _died_?" Casey gasped.

"He wouldn't be writing poems if he died, Casey," Jamal assured her. "But he probably got news that someone _else_ died."

"Yeah," said Alex. "And look at their names. Colonel James A. Baker…and Eileen Baker."

"Oh _no_," Lenni cried.

"But…are those the names…of his parents?" Gaby gasped.

"We didn't know their names," Jamal said. "But Rob's dad…was a colonel."

"_This_ is why Rob is so upset," Lenni moaned. "He just found out…that he's an orphan."


	2. Chapter 2

BACK TO THE LIGHT – PART TWO

The whole team was quiet for a time. Even Ghostwriter was still as he hovered over the names of who had died. Lenni finally turned to the others.

"Rob is all alone," she said. "He doesn't have any family in Australia."

"He has some friends," Hector said. "Although…I don't think he's real close to any of them."

"He's going to need them though," Jamal said.

"But he really needs _us_," Lenni said.

"How can we help him though?" Tina asked.

"By _writing_ to him," Lenni said. "We can write a message…and have Ghostwriter send it."

The others agreed and gathered around the computer, where they worked out a message to Rob.

_Dear Rob,_

_We're so sorry about your parents. Please remember that you're not alone. We're all here thinking of you. It may take time, but the sun will rise again._

_We love you Rob,_

_Jamal, Lenni, Alex, Gaby, Tina, Hector, and Casey_

Lenni nodded as Gaby stood behind her.

"Tell Ghostwriter to stay with Rob," Gaby said. "He needs him more than we do."

Lenni nodded and typed out the request.

_Stay with Rob, Ghostwriter. He needs you._

* * *

Ghostwriter vanished for some time after that and the team members found ways to pray for Rob. Jamal and Casey went to services at a local Baptist church. Tina lit incense at the Buddhist temple. Alex and Gaby went to mass at the Catholic church. Alex told Rob's friend Victor what happened, so Victor lit a candle for Rob on his mother's altar. Hector wasn't religious, so he just spent time re-reading Rob's letters. Lenni wasn't religious either, but she found Double-T and they went to light incense for Rob and his family at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.

"Rob's father…was a veteran also," Double-T said.

"So…would they bury him in Australia?" Lenni asked.

"I doubt it," Double-T said. "He'd be flown back in a casket…with a flag over it. And maybe a military escort. They'd bury the colonel and his wife at a veteran's cemetery."

"But…which one?" Lenni asked.

"No idea," Double-T sighed. "They lived all over."

Lenni nodded as she looked up at the memorial. She gasped as she saw a light and letters forming.

_The tunnel is long and dark and cold,_

_Yet a glimmer of light appears,_

_Urging me to press on._

_Voices from afar call for me to join them._

_And so, I put one foot in front of the other,_

_Moving ahead in spite of the pain._

_The journey is hard and lonely,_

_And I shiver in the dampness,_

_But I know in my heart that though I can't see it,_

_There is a light at the end._

"Wow," Double-T said. "Where'd you come up with that?"

Lenni suddenly realized she had read the poem aloud and gave a nervous giggle.

"Um…Rob sent it…to me," she said quickly. "I just now thought of it."

"Yeah," Double-T sighed. "That sounds like something he'd write. Especially now."

Lenni nodded and hoped Ghostwriter would send her the poem later so she could write it down. Double-T bent down to pick up his incense and turned to her again.

"You're very special to Rob," he said. "You know that, right?"

"We're great friends," Lenni said. "Even when he moved…he always wrote to me."

"Yeah," Double-T smiled. "There was a reason for that."

Lenni peered at Double-T, wondering what he meant by this.

* * *

The rest of the team was encouraged when Lenni told them about the poem, even though she couldn't recite it word for word. They knew enough to figure that Ghostwriter was with Rob and had sent him their message.

"He'll be okay," Lenni sighed, as they gathered at her loft. "He's still sad and lonely, but he's going to keep going."

"But…does that mean he's coming back?" Gaby asked.

"He probably _wants_ to," Alex said. "Rob had great friends here."

"But don't forget," Jamal said. "Rob is still only sixteen, like we are. He's not old enough to live on his own."

"But…who's he going to live with?" Tina asked. "Does he have any family left?"

"He has a brother," Hector said.

"He does?" asked Gaby.

"Yeah," said Lenni. "His brother, Jason. He was in college when Rob lived here."

"Well that was…four years ago," Jamal said. "His brother is likely done with college by now."

"So Rob could go live with him," Casey said.

"But…where does his brother live?" Gaby asked.

"Chicago," Hector said. "He got a job as an interpreter for the deaf…and lives in an apartment the size of a postage stamp."

Everyone looked at Hector, who gave a shrug.

"That's how Rob described it in the letter anyway," he said.

The others laughed as a glimmer of light appeared. Lenni gasped as it flew over them and various letters gathered from the corners of the room to spell out a message.

_Robert Baker – SYD – LAX/LAX – ORH_

_Jason Baker – SYD – LAX/LAX – ORH_

"Huh?" Casey asked.

"Ah," said Jamal. "Looks like Jason went to meet Rob in Australia…and now they're getting ready to come back."

"How do you know?" Gaby asked.

"Because those are _airport codes_," Jamal said. "SYD must mean Sydney. That's the city in Australia where Rob was living."

"And LAX is Los Angeles," said Tina. "Tuan flew there when he left for college."

"So Rob is flying from Sydney to LA," Lenni said. "Ghostwriter must be reading his ticket."

"But…what's ORH?" asked Hector. "Chicago doesn't start with O."

"Airport codes don't always match the city they're in," Jamal said. "When I flew to London, we actually flew to the London/_Heathrow_ airport. The code was LHR."

Lenni nodded as her father and step-mother come in.

"Well hello everyone," said Lenni's step-mother Sally. "You having a party?"

"Just hanging out," Lenni said.

"And wondering what ORH means," said Gaby.

"ORH?" asked Lenni's father Max.

"That's the code for Chicago O'Hare Airport," Sally said. "I flew there once for a conference."

"So Rob _is_ flying to Chicago," Hector whispered to Alex.

"What's that?" Max asked.

"Well…we were just talking about Rob…and his situation," Lenni said. "His parents are gone…and his brother lives in Chicago. We're guessing he'll go to live there."

"Most likely," Sally said. "But I hope his brother has good accommodations. The CPD in Chicago is rather strict."

"CPD?" Tina asked.

"Children's Protection Division," Casey whimpered. "They're the people who take kids away from their parents."

The others looked at Casey as Sally shook her head.

"They're not _all _bad," Sally said. "Their job is to make sure children are _safe_. They only take them out of the home if the parents can't take care of them properly."

"Like when my mom was drinking," Casey said.

"They didn't take you away though," Jamal said. "They only said you had to stay with us while she was in the hospital."

"I know," Casey said. "But I hear a lot about kids that are taken away and put with people they don't even know…or else group homes with loads of other kids."

"Unfortunately, that does happen," Sally said. "The problem is, kids can be taken away for _neglect_ and poor parents are accused of neglecting their children simply because they can't afford a lot of things the children need."

"You don't think that'll happen to Rob, do you?" Lenni asked.

"I certainly hope not," Sally said. "But DFS will likely be involved as he's a minor living with an older sibling rather than a parent."

Lenni bit her lip as she looked at Hector, who gave Sally a nervous look.

"But what if…Rob's brother isn't able to hear?" he asked.

"What?" Sally asked. "What do you mean?"

"Rob told us that in one of his letters," Lenni sighed. "His brother…is deaf."


	3. Chapter 3

BACK TO THE LIGHT – PART THREE

"Seriously?" Jamal asked. "Rob's brother is _deaf_?"

"It's one reason Rob got into writing," Lenni said. "He was never able to _talk_ to his brother, so he had to _write_ to him."

"And Rob would write letters to him all the time," Hector said.

"Oh dear," Sally sighed. "I mean…it depends on the state…but CPD has a tendency to discriminate against people with disabilities."

"How come?" asked Gaby.

"Well they sometimes assume that a person with disabilities can't take care of another person," Sally said. "Right now, there's a woman with autism who just had a baby. The CPD wants her husband to do the child care instead of her, but he's the one with a steady job. A friend of mine is a lawyer and just agreed to handle their case pro bono."

"Pro bono?" asked Gaby.

"For free," Jamal said. "Poor families can't always afford legal help."

"Would you friend be able to help Rob if he needs it?" Lenni asked.

"Not in Chicago," Sally sighed. "It'd have to be someone there. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. It's possible he and his brother won't have any problems with CPD. We'll just have to wait and see."

Over the next few weeks, Lenni tried hard not to worry about Rob. She wished she could write to him, but didn't have his new address. She thought about Ghostwriter sending another message, but he hadn't appeared again, so she assumed he was still with Rob.

"I just hope Sally's right about CPD not getting involved," she sighed.

Lenni went into her loft and shut the door. Her father was at rehearsal, so she put her bag down and went to see what was in the fridge. Just then, a swirl of light appeared and Lenni saw a message.

_Children's Protection Division_

_Subject: Robert Baker_

"Okay," Lenni said, running to the computer. "Let's not panic. It might not be anything serious."

Lenni turned the computer on and Ghostwriter sent more of the report.

_Subject showing signs of severe depression, hallucinating, writing dark poetry. Writes to imaginary friend._

"Oh no," Lenni said. "They can't see Ghostwriter…but know Rob is writing to him…and looking at him. They must have read his poems too."

_Guardian also showing signs of depression. Disability is a hindrance to care._

"Jason is depressed too?" Lenni wondered. "But then…he _also _lost his parents."

_Removal recommended. Transfer to foster care._

"Removal!" Lenni gasped. "Oh no!"

Lenni quickly typed into the computer.

_Did you show this to Rob too?_

Ghostwriter wrote back quickly.

_No. I'm afraid he will stop writing to me._

Lenni nodded and typed again.

_Rally L_

* * *

Lenni had written down everything from Ghostwriter and showed it to the team. They also grew worried, but didn't know what to do.

"Rob is all the way in Chicago," Jamal said. "And CPD is a government agency."

"I know," Lenni groaned. "I wish Sally could help…but how do I explain how I know that Rob is going to be taken away from his brother?"

"Maybe…ask a hypothetical question," Alex said.

"A what?" asked Casey.

"A hypothetical question," Jamal said. "A question that begins with…_if_."

"If?" asked Gaby.

"Right," Lenni nodded. "I can ask Sally…_If _the CPD were to take Rob away from Jason, what could we do about it?"

"Yeah," said Tina. "That way Sally doesn't realize that we know it's going to happen. We just think it _might_."

"Oh I get it," Hector said. "An _if_ question."

Lenni went to the phone and called Sally at work.

"It's just…_if_ the CPD people came to take Rob away…is there anything we could do about it?" she asked.

The others waited and Lenni finally sighed and nodded.

"Well…thanks anyway," she said. "Bye."

"Nothing?" Jamal asked.

"Nothing," Lenni sighed. "Rob would be a ward of the state of Illinois, not New York. Most Sally would be able to do is try to contact some of her friends there."

"Does…Rob know they're going to take him?" Gaby asked.

"Ghostwriter is afraid to show him this," Lenni said. "He doesn't want him to stop writing to him like before."

"Yeah," said Hector. "Those people think Rob is nuts. Seeing things. Writing to an imaginary friend."

"Dark poetry," Gaby said, giving a shiver.

"I wonder what poetry they mean," Lenni said. "I mean…the last poem we got…showed that Rob wasn't going to give up."

"Maybe Ghostwriter knows," Jamal said. "It may be something else he wrote in your notebook."

Lenni nodded and typed to Ghostwriter.

_What dark poetry are they talking about? Could you find it?_

Ghostwriter blinked and wrote back.

_The tunnel grows narrow and I fear it caving in._

_Spiders and rats peer at me through gleaming red eyes,_

_Waiting for the slightest mistake to seal my doom._

_The darkness haunts me like a bad dream,_

_Everything from before pales in comparison,_

_The rocks falling to block the way out,_

_Being bound and gagged with a blow to the head,_

_Hands and fists grabbing and punching me._

_At least then there was hope._

_At least then, they were near._

_But now they are too far to reach._

_I am alone._

Lenni swallowed hard as Tina copied the poem and Gaby shivered.

"Rob does write some dark stuff," she said, giving a shudder. "Spiders and rats…brrr."

"He's being figurative," Alex told her. "The spiders and rats aren't real."

"But they are," Jamal said. "He feels like he's being watched all the time…and the people watching him…are waiting for him to make a mistake."

"Probably the CPD people," Lenni frowned.

"And he's so scared," Tina said. "Even more scared than he was before."

"Before?" Hector asked.

"Right," said Jamal. "He writes about several things that happened to him before. _Rocks falling to block the way out_…that's when Rob got trapped in a subway tunnel."

"Yeah," said Gaby. "And being bound and gagged…is when Roberta Halton tied him up in her dressing room."

"And the hands and fists?" Casey asked nervously.

"The Thunderheads," Lenni sighed. "Rob got caught by them once…and they were beating him up."

"But even _that_ doesn't compare to how scared he is _now_," Alex said. "He just lost his mom and dad…and now they're taking him away from the only family he's got left."

"If only we could _do_ something," Lenni whined.

"He mentioned that too," Jamal sighed. "We're too far away to help him this time….and he's alone."

"But he has Ghostwriter," Gaby said.

"Is it enough though?" Lenni asked. "I mean…Ghostwriter is part of the reason they think he's going bonkers."

"What could we do anyway?" Hector asked. "Even if we _were_ there?"

"Lots of things," Lenni said. "We could talk to CPD…and let them know Rob _isn't_ crazy."

"We could give him a hug," Gaby sighed. "He really needs a hug."

"And we could just…listen," Tina said. "Rob is going through so much…and needs to talk about it to someone he can trust."

"Hold it guys," said Jamal. "Instead of talking about what we _can't_ do, let's see if there's anything we _can_ do."

"Yeah," Alex said. "I mean…we _were_ able to send him a message before. Maybe we can do that again."

"Would it be enough?" Lenni asked.

"I don't know," said Casey. "When I was feeling bad about my mom, I didn't feel better until I had a _real_ person _right_ there to talk to."

"Yeah," Jamal sighed. "Like me at six in the morning."

"But…Rob is in Chicago," Tina said.

"At least it's not Australia," Lenni said. "I think Casey's right. Rob needs someone to go to him."

"How are any of us going to get to Chicago?" Gaby asked. "We kind of have school."

"And parents," Tina said.

Lenni nodded and snapped her fingers.

"Double-T!" she cried.

"Double-T?" asked Casey.

"Hey yeah," said Alex. "He's an adult…and one of Rob's best friends! We could have _him_ go to Chicago."

"Hold it guys," Jamal said. "I think we're forgetting that we don't know Rob's address in Chicago yet…and that's a huge city."

"Oh man," Lenni said. "You're right. Even if Double-T agreed to go and help Rob, we don't know where to send him."

The others groaned and the phone rang. Lenni went to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Lenni Frazier?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"This is Officer Harlow of the Children's Protection Division, Chicago Branch. Are you acquainted with a young man named Robert Baker?"

"Well yes. I'm a pen-pal of his. We were friends back when he lived in New York."

"Are you aware that his parents recently passed away?"

"Um…yes I am aware of that. That's why Rob moved to Chicago…right?"

"Yes. Have you spoken with him recently?"

"Um…no. I don't have his new address or phone number yet. Why?"

"Because…we were hoping you could help us locate him."

"L…locate him? Is he missing?"

"I'm afraid so. Robert…has run away."


	4. Chapter 4

BACK TO THE LIGHT – PART FOUR

"Run away!?"

Lenni looked around at the others, who gasped. She then turned back to the phone and tried to clear her mind.

"I'm afraid so," the officer said. "We contacted you because we noticed he writes to you and think he might be headed for New York."

"I…I guess it's possible," Lenni said. "But that's an awfully long way."

"He's not in his right mind, I'm afraid. He's in a terrible state of depression after what happened to his parents and his brother isn't able to take care of him. Now we are going to send out a search party. Please call me if Robert contacts you."

"Yessir. I will."

Lenni wrote down the officer's phone number and then immediately called Sally to tell her what happened.

"Oh no!" Sally cried.

"Is there anything we can do?" Lenni asked.

"I'm afraid not," Sally said. "Rob could be anywhere in the Chicago area."

Lenni paused and tried to clear her head.

"If…if we knew where he was…could we go look for him?"

"Well of course," Sally said. "But my goodness, how are you going to find him?"

"Just trust me," Lenni said. "I'll call you back later."

Lenni hung up the phone as she turned back to the team. Jamal gave a nod and put his fist into his palm.

"We're going to have to get Ghostwriter to find Rob," he said. "If he can read something near him, we can pinpoint where he is."

"Way ahead of you," Lenni said, sitting at the computer.

_Ghostwriter, we need you to help us find Rob. Please read what's near him._

There was a pause before Ghostwriter came back.

_91__st__ St./South Chicago_

"Yes," Lenni said. "Rob is on 91st Street in South Chicago."

"I'm going to get my road atlas," Alex said. "It's bound to have a map of Chicago in it."

As Alex left the room, Jamal turned to Lenni.

"Should you call that guy back and tell him?"

"I don't know," Lenni said. "I mean…this guy was with CPD. He might be the one Rob is running from."

"And besides," Gaby said. "The guy would want to know _how_ Lenni knows where Rob is."

Lenni was grateful for Gaby as another message appeared.

_I-90_

"Huh?" asked Casey.

"A highway number," said Jamal. "Interstate highway 90."

"That must be the highway out of Chicago," said Tina.

_15 Gary IN_

"Gary in?" Gaby asked.

"Who's Gary?" asked Hector.

"And what's he in?" asked Casey.

"Wait a minute," Tina said, digging in her bag. "I just read this book about these kids in Gary, Indiana."

"Hey yeah," said Gaby. "IN means Indiana."

"Another highway sign," said Jamal. "Rob must be on Highway 90…heading towards Gary, Indiana."

"So…what direction is that?" Lenni asked.

They all turned to the door, where Alex had returned with his road atlas. They showed him the clues and he turned to a map of Chicago and the surrounding area.

"Yep," Alex said. "Rob is going south and east…towards Gary, Indiana…on Highway 90."

"What's the 15 here?" Casey asked.

"That's how far away it is," Jamal explained. "The signs on the highway show you how many miles to the next town. So Rob is 15 miles outside of Gary Indiana."

"Wow," said Hector. "Not sure where he started from…but he seems to have gotten pretty far."

"Yeah," said Alex. "I wonder if he's on foot…or if he's hitchhiking?"

"Hitchhiking?" asked Tina. "You mean…getting a ride from strangers?"

"That would be so dangerous," Gaby said.

"Rob tends to do dangerous things," Jamal sighed. "And he's a bit desperate."

"Yeah," Lenni said. "The police said he's not thinking straight."

"Hey look," said Casey. "Ghostwriter has something else."

_CBN 460 New York_

_RAD_

"New York?" Lenni asked.

"A New York liscense plate!" Alex said. "Maybe Rob found someone headed to New York…and got a ride."

"But what's…RAD?" Hector asked.

"That's what it says on all my dirt bike stickers," Jamal said. "In fact…I gave a few of those to Rob."

Jamal let out a gasp.

"His skateboard!"

"Hey yeah," Alex said. "If Rob's running away, no doubt he'd use his skateboard."

"And Rob put one of my stickers on the bottom of it," Jamal said.

"Wait a minute," said Tina. "You know that movie _Back to the Future?_ The guy gets around on a skateboard by grabbing on to the back of cars."

"Hey yeah," said Lenni. "And Rob _loves_ that movie. He could be doing the same thing."

"And grabbed a car with a _New York_ liscense plate!" Hector said.

"Which means he's trying to get _here_," Gaby said.

Lenni nodded and grabbed the phone.

"I'm calling Sally," she said. "Maybe now we have enough information to try to get to him."

* * *

Sally came over with Double-T just as Lenni's father came home. Lenni explained the situation, although she fibbed slightly by saying Rob had called her from a pay phone.

"He's headed this way on Highway 90," Lenni said. "But…that's all he would tell me."

"But is he hitchhiking or taking a bus or what?" Max asked.

"He uh…didn't say," Lenni sighed. "Rob used to ride a skateboard…so I'm guessing he's using that."

"He can't get all the way to New York by skateboard," Sally said.

"Oh it can be done," Double-T sighed. "I know guys that've crossed the whole of the country on less than that."

"Really?" Lenni asked.

"Oh yeah," Double-T said. "Rob knows all the stories too. We used to hang out with some of the guys at the shelter…and he'd write them down. Seems now he's trying to live it out himself."

"Yeah," Lenni said. "How _did_ these guys cross the country?"

"Different ways," Double-T shrugged. "Hitchhike…or just walking. Go from town to town along the highway. Stay at the big travel plazas with the truckers."

"Truckers?"

"The guys driving the big trucks on the highway," Double-T said. "They park at the big travel plazas at night. They can eat there…and even get a hot shower."

"And a bed?" Lenni asked.

"They'd have those in their trucks," Double-T said. "But the plaza would be open all night, so a homeless bum could come by for food and a shower. If he was close enough to a major city, he could find a shelter to sleep in. If not, he can camp out under an overpass…or just keep walking all night."

Lenni nodded as she looked up, as another message was flashing.

_Elkhart Travel Plaza_

Lenni nodded as Max peered at her.

"What you looking at, Bips?"

"Uh…nothing Dad," Lenni said. "But I think Double-T is right. Rob would probably find a travel plaza to spend the night in. I just hope he has money for food."

"And I hope he has the good sense to call you again," Sally said. "Tell you exactly where he is."

Lenni nodded and discreetly looked at the map in Alex's road atlas, where she found Elkhart, Indiana.

"Well…this is just a guess," Lenni said. "But maybe Rob is here…in Elkhart, Indiana. It's about 142 miles from Toledo, Ohio."

Lenni showed them the map and they nodded. Double-T then pointed out something else.

"If Rob's headed for New York," he said. "He'll stay on I-80. It merges with I-90 around here…and breaks off again in Elyira, Ohio."

"But…you're sure he'd go that way?" Lenni asked.

"Oh I'm sure," Double-T said. "It's Highway 80 that goes to New York. Highway 90 goes to Boston."

Lenni looked at the map and nodded.

"You're right," she said. "Rob probably _would_ go that way."

Lenni then turned to her father and Sally.

"I know it's a long shot," she said. "But could we try to go out and find him? If we stay on the highway…"

"I know, Honey," Max said. "But it's going to be dark soon. Even if we did pass him on the highway, we might not be able to see him."

"And he's likely to stop somewhere for the night," Sally said. "At a travel plaza or homeless shelter."

"But…"

"Look," her father said. "We'll set out on the highway in the morning. If Rob keeps heading this direction, we're bound to find him."

Lenni moaned as she went to bed that night, wondering where Rob was sleeping, or if he was still travelling the highway in the dark. She finally gave up on trying to sleep and grabbed her casebook and pen.

_Ghostwriter, is Rob still at the travel plaza?_

Ghostwriter blinked before answering.

_South Toledo Men's Shelter_

Lenni nodded.

"I guess he got to Toledo," she said. "And found a place to sleep."

She yawned as Ghostwriter wrote again.

_I will stay to Rob, Lenni. Try to get some sleep._

As promised, Sally came over the next morning and got ready to set out with Double-T. Lenni wanted to come along, but her father put his foot down.

"You need to be here in case the Chicago people call again," he said.

"And I'll make sure you call you if anything happens," Sally said.

"Don't worry," Double-T said. "We'll find Rob."

"Okay," Lenni said. "Can my friends come over and wait with me?"

"Of course," Max smiled.

Lenni smiled as Sally and Double-T set out and her father went to work. She then called a rally and explained what was going on to the rest of the team.

"Ghostwriter sent me that message too," Jamal said. "I guess Rob got to Toledo."

"And that's south of Detroit," Casey said. "We were thinking of sending my sister to look for him…but she has to stay with my mom."

"And Rob was in a _men's_ shelter," Lenni said. "Your sister wouldn't have been allowed in."

"She also doesn't know Rob," Casey sighed. "_I_ don't even know Rob."

"You will soon," Jamal said. "We figured he was at least safe for the night."

"So…Rob is homeless?" Gaby asked.

"Actually…he is," Tina said. "He ran away…just like Double-T did."

"Yeah," Alex said. "And remember what Double-T told us when we found him at the memorial? He lost it…and broke up his own stuff."

"He lost…what?" Casey asked.

"He kind of…went nuts," Lenni said. "Double-T has bad memories of the Vietnam War…and he was running from them."

"And now the same sort of thing is happening to Rob," Alex said. "He's trying to run from it."

"But…can he?" Hector asked. "I mean…isn't it all in his head?"

"Mostly," Jamal sighed.

"That's why Sally took Double-T with her," Lenni said. "He understands what Rob is going through…and Rob can talk to him about it."

"Rob should also talk to _you_," Tina said.

"Me?" asked Lenni.

"Yeah," Gaby said. "You know what it's like…to lose a parent."

Lenni bit her lip and nodded.

"It's not the same though," she said. "I mean…I was really young…and Mom was sick for a long time. It wasn't sudden like a car crash. And I still had my dad."

"You still know _something_ about it," Hector said. "I mean…I talk to Casey about certain things, because neither of us have a dad."

"Even though my parents are divorced…and I actually _know_ who my dad is," Casey said. "It's not exactly the same…but it's close."

Hector nodded as Gaby cocked her head.

"So what are we going to say when Sally calls?"

"Well I'm hoping she calls when she finds Rob," Lenni said.

"But she might need more clues too," said Jamal. "I say, as soon as Sally does call, we need to be ready to ask Ghostwriter to find more words around Rob."

"Yeah," said Alex. "Lenni can say she heard from him again…and can tell Sally exactly where he is."

"And in the meantime," Tina said, "we should try to keep track of him."

* * *

The team spent most of the day at the computer, Ghostwriter sending them clues every hour or so.

"Look," Lenni said. "The sign now says Highway 90 _and_ 80."

"He must be around Fremont then," Alex said. "That's where the two highways merge."

"And he keeps passing toll booths," said Hector.

"Well the highway across Ohio is a turnpike," said Jamal. "If you pull off, you have to pay a toll for using it."

"Would Rob have to pay a toll?" asked Casey.

"I doubt it," Lenni said. "He's on a skateboard, not a car."

"Unless he's hitchhiking," Tina said. "If someone picked him up, they might ask him to pay the toll for them."

"That sounds awfully dangerous though," Gaby said.

"It used to be safer," Lenni sighed. "Double-T said he used to hitchhike when he was young…and a lot of his homeless friends get around that way. But now it's better to try to get a bus ticket."

"I'm guessing Rob can't afford that," Jamal sighed. "Otherwise, Ghostwriter would just read the ticket."

"And Rob would get here a lot faster," Alex said.

Some time later, Ghostwriter sent more clues and the team felt more assured.

"Looks like he just passed Elyira Ohio," Jamal said.

"And Double-T was right," Lenni said. "He followed Highway 80, since that's the one that goes to New York."

"Yeah," said Alex. "Rob probably saw this highway sign…and knew that was the way to go."

"Which means Sally and Double-T will be able to see him," Lenni said.

"I wonder where _they_ are," Gaby said.

"We can find out," Lenni said. "I know Sally's license plate number…so let's have Ghostwriter see where her car is."

Lenni typed in the request and Ghostwriter send back an exit sign.

"Punxsutawny?" Gaby asked. "Where's that?"

"Hey," said Casey. "That's the place the groundhog is from."

"Groundhog?" asked Tina.

"On Groundhog's Day," said Casey. "The official groundhog is Punxsutawny Phil…and if he sees his shadow, there's six more weeks of winter."

"Hey yeah," said Alex, looking at his map. "And that's in…Pennsylvania. Looks like they're headed to Cleveland."

Lenni nodded and prepared lunch for the rest of the team. They were eating when the phone rang and Lenni ran to answer it.

"Hi Sally," Lenni said. "Did you find him? Cleveland? Well don't turn back now…"

She waved to Jamal, who wrote quickly in the casebook, asking for more clues. Ghostwriter then sent a message back.

_I 80_

_Ohio Turnpike_

_Cuyahoya River_

"Um…I did hear from him," Lenni said. "He said something about the Cuyahoya River. Do you know where that is?"

"Oh yes," Sally said. "That's a river here in Cleveland that used to be so polluted it would catch on fire. I did a paper on it once. Is that where he is now?"

"Yes," Lenni said. "If you hurry, you can find him there."

* * *

Sally nodded and hung up the pay phone at the travel plaza.

"Lenni says Rob called again," she said to Double-T. "He said something about the Cuyahoya River."

"There must be a bridge coming up," Double-T said.

Sally nodded and went to the counter, where she asked about the river and the bridge. Double-T saw some bikers coming in and talking among themselves.

"I'm telling ya," one was saying. "We should've stayed with that kid. He was ready to do it."

"It's better to call the cops," said another. "Kid don't know us…and a gang of bikers might scare him into it."

Double-T gasped and ran over to them.

"You guys saw a kid?"

"Yeah," said one of the bikers, who had a bushy grey beard. "Just passed him back there on the bridge."

"Did he have black hair and a skateboard?"

"Had a skateboard," said another biker. "Didn't see his hair though. Wearing a bandanna."

"That's _him_!" Double-T said excitedly. "We're out here looking for him. Runaway."

"Come with me then," said one of the bikers. "I'll show you where he is…and you can keep him from jumping."

Double-T gasped.

"Jumping?!"

"Yeah," the biker said. "We pulled off here to call the cops. Kid looked ready to jump in the river."


	5. Chapter 5

BACK TO THE LIGHT – PART FOUR

On the bridge, a teenage boy with an orange bandanna was standing on the concrete barrier and looking down at the water. He then looked back up at the message floating in front of him, reading it through his tears.

_Stay with us, Rob. Help is coming._

"But you don't understand," Rob said, his voice breaking. "I can't take it anymore. I just want everything to be over."

While Ghostwriter couldn't hear him, he could sense how brokenhearted and frightened he was. He also knew he had stopped moving and was on a bridge.

_Please don't jump! Stay where you are._

Rob swallowed and looked down at the river again. The tips of his combat boots were just over the edge. A few more inches and he would be plummeting into the river.

"But…I'd be with Dad again," Rob sniffed. "And Mom…"

Rob didn't hear the roar of the motorcycle that was pulling up, or the sound of the two men getting off of it. But he did hear a voice that was familiar. One he hadn't heard in years.

"Rob!"

He looked over and gasped.

"Double-T?"

Double-T held out his hand.

"Rob…get down from there."

Rob stumbled a bit, looked down at the river, and then back at Double-T. He looked exactly the same as he had years ago, although his reddish hair had a bit more grey in it. He then saw a car pull up and someone else came up behind Double-T.

"Sally?" Rob wondered.

"Rob…please get down from there," Sally said.

Rob swallowed and looked down at the river again. A few more inches…

"Please Rob!" Sally called. "What am I going to tell Lenni?"

Rob looked up again and Double-T nodded.

"That's right," he said. "She's awful worried about you."

Rob bit his lip and closed his eyes. But he couldn't move. His feet felt to heavy.

"You love her, don't you?" Double-T said.

Rob said nothing, but managed to nod.

"Then you must get down," Sally said. "Lenni would be devastated if she lost you now. Everyone would."

Rob opened his eyes. The pain was still there, but something else was emerging inside. Something he'd been hiding. Something far stronger than the pain and darkness. Rob knelt down and put his hands on the barrier.

"That's it," Double-T said.

Rob stepped down from the barrier and then crumpled on the side of the road. He felt too weak to move and started to sob. But then he felt Double-T's strong arms around him.

"It's okay, Rob," he said. "It'll be okay."

"Get him to the car, Tommy," Sally said. "I'll get his things."

Rob was shaking as Double-T and a large biker carried him to the car. All he could do was sob, burying his face in Double-T's old army jacket.

* * *

Lenni ran to the phone when it rang. She then let out a sigh of relief and called to the others.

"They found him," she said. "Is he okay, Sally?"

"Well…he's alive," Sally said. "But he's in a terrible state and I'm not quite sure what to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I said we would take him back to his brother…and he went ballistic saying he couldn't go back."

"Oh man," Lenni said. "It must be worse than we thought."

"I think so," Sally said. "He's insisting on coming to New York. But I still want you to call that number back so his brother knows where he is."

"Right," Lenni said. "Maybe Jason can come to New York to get him."

"If they'll let him," Sally sighed.

"They'd _better_ let him," Lenni said. "Just let me take care of it."

Lenni hung up the phone and looked up the number from Chicago. She narrowed her eyes and dialed it as the rest of the team nodded.

"Yes…this is Lenni Frazier," she said. "You told me to call if Rob Baker showed up…Well he's been found…I can't tell you where…No, I want to talk to his brother _privately_…Yes, I'm willing to use an interpreter…"

Lenni wrote down another number and thanked the officer. She then dialed the new number and nodded to the team.

"Yes, this is Lenni Frazier and I need to talk to Jason Baker," she said. "You're the interpreter?...Okay, tell him that his brother is safe…He's coming to the place he lived in four years ago, so please go there…The people who got him out of the tunnel will meet you at the airport…Thank you."

Lenni smiled and hung up the phone.

"Boy…I'm glad we planned that out," Alex said.

"You sure Jason picked up on it?" Jamal asked.

"The interpreter said he did," Lenni said. "Gave him a smile and a thumbs up."

"But CPD won't know he's coming _here_," Hector said.

"They still might figure it out," Tina said.

"But this buys us some time," Lenni said. "Jason needs to get to Rob _first_. Now I need to call that lady Sally told me about."

* * *

The next morning, Jamal was waiting at the airport with his sister Danitra. He had asked her to bring him, as she had studied sign language in college. He spotted a tall young man at the gate and pointed him out to her.

"Gotta be that guy," he said. "Looks just like Rob."

"Well let's see if you're right," Danitra said.

Danitra waved to the young man and signed with her hands. He nodded and came over to them.

"You must be the Jenkins," he said with a heavy accent.

"Yes," Danitra said. "I'm Danitra Jenkins and this is Jamal."

"I've read about you…Brown Dude," he said. "I'm Jason Baker, Rob's brother."

"I can tell," Jamal said. "You could be twins."

"I know," Jason smiled. "The only difference is five years and working ears."

Jason didn't bring any checked bags, so they took him directly back to the house. Sally had already brought Rob there and Jason caught him up in his arms. Both of them were weeping, but they finally pulled apart and started signing very quickly.

"What's he saying?" Jamal asked Danitra.

"Apologies mostly," Danitra said. "But it seems he was running away from _Chicago_ more than his brother…and really doesn't want to go back."

"Yeah," said Jamal. "It's too bad Jason can't just move here."

Rob looked at Jamal and signed to his brother again. Jason sighed and signed back but Danitra cocked her head and also signed with her hands.

"Actually," she said. "I know a place that needs an interpreter for the deaf. They were trying to hire me."

"But…you didn't take the job?" Jason asked.

"No," Danitra said. "I have another year of school…and they need someone full time. Let me see if I can find the guy's card."

Danitra went to find the card as Jason sat down and opened his bag. Rob sat with him and sighed.

"You brought Mom and Dad with you?" he asked.

"Your parents?" Jamal asked.

"Well…they were cremated in Australia," Rob said. "Dad's burial plot is at the Veteran's Cemetery here in Brooklyn. He bought it when he was working here."

Jamal nodded as Jason took out two boxes. Rob put a hand on each one.

"We can go to the VA while we're here," he said. "They'll pay for…a funeral."

Jason nodded and also put his hands on the boxes before putting them away again. Danitra then came downstairs with the card she was looking for. Jason then accepted her offer to take him to the place that needed an interpreter.

"You go ahead," Rob said. "Jamal's gonna call some of my other friends to come over."

Jason grinned and made a sign, which made Rob make a face at him. They left and Jamal rubbed his chin.

"Was he asking about Lenni?"

"Never mind," Rob grunted.

"Right," Jamal said. "You want to call the rally?"

Rob sighed and took out a pen, writing _Rally J_ on a paper on the desk. He then looked up, as Casey was coming down stairs.

"What's the rally for?" she asked.

"Oh right," Jamal said. "Rob, this is my cousin Casey."

"Hi," Casey said. "Are you the guy that ran away from home?"

"More that I was running from CPD," Rob sighed.

"I don't blame you," Casey said. "I don't like them much either."

Rob cocked his head as there was a knock on the door. He then had to brace himself, as the rest of the team soon had him engulfed in a group hug.

"Okay, okay, you guys," Jamal said. "Let the man breathe."

"I missed you all too," Rob said, looking around. "But…where's Lenni?"

"Oh yeah," Gaby said. "She's with Sally…and your _lawyer_."

"Yeah," said Alex. "They're going to make sure no one tries to take you away from your brother."

"Or back to Chicago," Tina said.

"Well _that's_ a relief," Rob frowned. "Because I'm _not_ going back there."

"What happened?" Hector asked.

Rob sighed as he flopped down on the couch. The others gathered around him as he ran his hand through his hair.

"It was just…too much all at once," he sighed. "My parents dying…moving to Chicago…starting a new school…living with Jason in that tiny apartment…CPD people asking questions all the time. Then I saw them at school and…I panicked. I just ran…and kept running."

"They came to your school?" Tina asked.

"They do that a lot," Casey said. "They'll take kids out from the school, so their parents don't know about it."

"That's so unfair!" Hector said.

"Tell me about it," Rob frowned. "Fortunately, Ghostwriter gave me a heads up. So I snuck out the back way and got on the L-train."

"What's that?" asked Gaby.

"Chicago has this above ground train instead of a subway," Rob said, cocking his head. "You _did_ warn me about staying out of subway tunnels."

"Seems you wound up in a tunnel anyway," Gaby told him, crossing her arms.

"Well that wasn't _my_ fault," Rob frowned. "I just…couldn't handle it anymore. And running only made it worse. I was cold and scared and hungry on top of everything else. When I got to Cleveland…I was just…ready to give up."

"But…that's where they found you…right?" Jamal asked. "At the river."

"Yeah," Rob said. "Double-T found me on the bridge…before I jumped."

The rest of the team gasped.

"You were going to _jump_?" Jamal asked. "Why?"

"I told you," Rob said. "I wanted it all to be over. The running…the pain…the darkness. I wanted it to end."

"Oh man," Alex said. "We didn't know it was that bad."

"Well it is," Rob sighed. "I just…I don't know how to keep going anymore."

"But…you're home now," Gaby said. "And we're all here."

"And you can stay with us as long as you need to," Jamal said.

"And Sally's got your lawyer all lined up for you and Jason," Alex told him.

"And you really _really_ need to go see Lenni," Tina said. "She's worried _sick_ about you."

"I think she has a song too," said Casey.

"A song?" asked Hector.

"That's what she said," Casey shrugged. "Something to help him feel better."

"I think seeing Lenni in person will help him feel _plenty_ better," Jamal grinned.

* * *

After Jason returned, he and Rob went over to Lenni's loft. Lenni ran right to Rob and embraced him and soon both of them were weeping. Jason sighed and went over to Sally, who introduced him to the lawyer. The lawyer knew sign language and suggested Jason come to her office.

"That's a good idea," Sally said. "Now Lenni, I need to get back to work and we'll get the paperwork underway. You stay here and make sure Rob doesn't run off again."

Rob made a face as Lenni smiled.

"I can do that Sally," she said.

The others laughed as Rob sighed. Lenni still hadn't let go of him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"No," he said. "But…the tunnel's a bit lighter now."

Lenni nodded and ran her hand through his hair.

"Sally told me that…you almost jumped," she said nervously.

Rob closed his eyes and nodded as Lenni drew closer to him.

"I'm glad you didn't," she whispered. "I couldn't bear it…if I lost you."

Rob bit his lip and looked at her, his eyes full of tears.

"That's why I didn't," he said.

Lenni gazed back at him and understood. She ran her hand through his hair again as he pulled her closer. Lenni closed her eyes as she leaned up, just barely brushing his lips with hers. She felt him timidly kissing her back as he pressed his wet cheek against her face. He held her a while longer before giving a sigh.

"Casey said you had a song," he said.

"I do," Lenni smiled. "It's an old one though. I uh…wrote it when my mom died."

Rob looked at her as she brushed his tears away.

"Could I play it for you?"

Rob nodded and Lenni finally let go of him and went to the keyboard. He stood behind her with his hands around her waist as she turned it on.

_The world is dark and gloomy without you_

_And I don't know what I'm supposed to do_

_Now it's just me and Daddy_

_And I cannot be happy_

_When what before was three is only two_

_But I know you don't want me sad forever_

_And though I wish we all could be together_

_Mommy I want you to be_

_Oh so proud of me_

_So I'll be brave and move ahead_

_And I will fight and hold my head_

_Up high_

_And I will think of you_

_Who's watching me_

_From way up in the sky_

Lenni finished the song as Rob hugged her from behind, pressing his cheek to hers. She could feel his tears again and sighed.

"Do you believe in heaven?"

Rob nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "It's one of the few things…giving me hope. My parents are there."

"You're sure?" Lenni asked.

"Oh yeah," he told her. "Dad said that…believing in Jesus…kept him going when he was flying in Vietnam."

"Really?" Lenni asked. "But…wasn't he dropping bombs and stuff?"

"Exactly," Rob shrugged. "Dad wanted forgiveness for that…and said God didn't hold it against him."

Lenni nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "A Jesuit priest visited my mom in the hospital. She said…she was at peace with God…right before she died."

She looked at Rob again.

"Are…you at peace with God?"

Rob sighed.

"Not really," he said. "I've been running from God…just like I've been running from everything else. But He's not really someone you can run away from."

"He's not?" Lenni asked.

"No," Rob said, giving a slight laugh. "He has his hands in everything. I mean…He put everything in place so I wouldn't jump."

"You think so?" Lenni asked. "I thought Ghostwriter did that."

"And who do you think sent Ghostwriter to begin with?"

Lenni raised her eyebrows as Rob shook his head.

"Lenni…Ghostwriter…is like an angel," he said. "God sent him to look after us."

Lenni's eyes grew wide as she thought about this.

"I never thought of him…that way," she daid. "I just thought he was a ghost."

"And a ghost wouldn't be here unless there's a reason," Rob said.

Lenni nodded as Rob hugged her again, pressing his cheek to hers.

"In any case," he sighed, "I'm going to Dad's old church tomorrow with Jason. We want to talk to the minister about…the funeral."

"Oh yeah," Lenni said. "Double-T said your dad would be buried at a veteran's cemetery."

"He will be," Rob smiled. "He reserved a space at the one here in Brooklyn for both him and Mom…and the minister can do the service for us."

Lenni nodded as he rubbed her hand.

"You can come to church with us…if you want."

Lenni smiled and nodded.

"I'd like that."

* * *

Later that week, the whole team came to the military funeral at the veteran's cemetery. Double-T and Victor came also, as did the parents of the kids on the team and Sally and the lawyer. Above them, the spirit of a runaway slave was watching, alongside the colonel and his wife, as well as the artist.

"Keep an eye on our son," the colonel said. "He's got a long way to go."

"I think he'll be fine though," his wife smiled. "He's with Colleen's daughter now."

"She needs him just as much," the artist said, turning to the slave. "And they both need _you_."

"I know they do," the slave said in a deep voice. "But don't worry. I'll keep writing to them."

The parents smiled as the slave spun around, taking the form of a ball of light. He flew out through the clouds and wrote in the air, as all the children below looked up at him.

_Take heart my children. You are not alone_.


End file.
